Paris Saint-Germain reached a last-minute deal with Barcelona on the move-in deadline for Brazilian midfielder Rafinha just hours after Danilo Pereira joined the French champion.
The arrival of the pair of talented and experienced midfielders in the French capital is most likely to ease tensions within the club, just days after sporting director Leonardo criticized coach Thomas Tuchel last week for suggesting that the club weakened by not recruiting new players.
Rafinha, Thiago Alcantara’s brother, never controlled to consolidate an initial position in Barcelona and ceded to Inter Milan and Celta de Vigo.
PSG said it had signed for three seasons. According to Spanish media, he has joined as a flexible agent, but the deal includes 3 million euros ($3. 5 million) in possible bonuses, while Barcelona is expected to obtain a player sales commission.
Announced shortly the following Tuesday, the move came just hours after Pereira signed Porto on a one-season loan with a purchase option.
Following the dispute between Tuchel and Leonardo, PSG also acquired 20-year-old striker Moise Kean, who left on Sunday through english Premier League club Everton until the end of June.
While Kean’s signing was not noticed by the PSG’s offensive wealth, the hiring of a defensive midfielder such as Pereira was Tuchel’s priority, who at 29 years and 1. 88 metres will bring joy and physical strength to the midfield alongside Marco Verratti and Idrissa Gueye. Small.
Pereira won the 2016 European Championship and the 2019 League of Nations with Portugal and has 39 appearances.
“It’s a new challenge for me, and being part of Paris Saint-Germain is my ambition,” Pereira said. “Joining one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the world is a wonderful moment in my career, and I hope to be. contribute a lot to Paris and its followers. “
Tuchel, in his third season at PSG, regretted the departure of many players, adding Thiago Silva, Thomas Meunier and Tanguy Kouassi, and said the current French champions and Champions League finalists might want to lower their expectations this season.
After their 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in August, PSG had a precarious start in the French league with two losses. Since then, Tuchel’s team has recovered with four consecutive victories, going up to fourth place.
Once hailed as a prodigy, Keane has fought since leaving Serie A in 2019. He trained at the Juventus academy, completed in 2017 and won two Italian championships before moving to England. He has scored only two goals in 31 Premier League games with Everton.
Meantime, PSG’s rival Marseille has secured the arrival of former French under-20 foreigner Michael Cuisance from Bayern Munich, who announced the season’s transfer hours after Marseille right-back Bouna Sarr made the other signal with the Bavarian club until 2024.
With Marseille back in the Champions League, Cuisance, 21, on André Villas-Boas’ priority list as Marseille coach sought to raise the intensity to midfield.
Lyon defends with the arrival of Italian foreigner Mattia De Sciglio and Algerian side Djamel Benlamri.
De Sciglio signed for Juventus on a seasonal loan. The agreement with ac Milan’s former side does not include a purchase option, while Benlamri has signed for a year with a season option.
Lyon, who loaned midfielder Jeff Reine-Adelaide to Nice until the end of June, also recruited 18-year-old offensive midfielder Habib Keita, who signed a five-year contract until June 2025 for 1 million euros plus bonuses. Club of Mali FC Guidars.
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